Pakistan Has A Growing Tech Scene

Game designers work at
their studio 'We R Play', in Islamabad.Farooq Naeem/AFP/File

It's a city better known for its history and culture, but a new
generation of mobile game developers is bringing a slice of
Silicon Valley to Pakistan's Lahore.

With open plan offices, mixed gender teams, gourmet catering and
an emphasis on a fun atmosphere, the small but growing IT
industry worth an estimated $2.8 billion is being led by young
entrepreneurs like Babar Ahmed.

Ahmed, 33, left a career as a circuit engineer in Austin, Texas
to found Mindstorm Studios in the eastern Pakistani city in 2006
with his brother Faraz.

Today their studio employs 47 people thanks to hits like 2010's
"Whacksy Taxi", which shot to number one on Apple's AppStore in
over 25 countries; "Mafia Farm" in 2012 and "Cricket Power", the
official game of the 2011 World Cup.

"The idea was to put Pakistan on the gaming world," said Ahmed,
explaining he was tired of "drawing room talk" among expatriates
in the US about how something should be done for their homeland.

- Smartphone revolution -

Mindstorm is one of several games development studios in Pakistan
-- mainly based in Lahore but also in the capital Islamabad and
Karachi -- to have prospered with the spread of the smartphone.

"After the iPhone was launched, the definition of what a game is
changed overnight. The definition of what a gamer is changed
overnight," said Ahmed.

While traditional "hardcore" games -- typically played on home
console systems or PCs -- need multi-million dollar budgets and
teams of dozens of developers, games designed for smartphones
need far less start-up capital.

That has allowed countries in eastern Europe, Pakistan, and the
Philippines to become prime destinations for software
outsourcing, said Jazib Zahir, chief operations officer at
Tintash, another Lahore-based studio that provided the
back-office for "Fishing Frenzy", another top-ten hit.

According to the government, some 24,000 people are now employed
in software exports - though the figure also includes more
traditional areas like financial software and healthcare.

"One of the advantages that Pakistan brings is we do have a
critical mass of people with training and aptitude, an interest
in developing software and art and combining them," adds Zahir,
who is also a part-time tech journalist.

- Breaking boundaries -

At We R Play, an Islamabad-based studio based in a converted
warehouse on the outskirts of the city, rows of twentysomethings
busy themselves on their computers surrounded by colourful
posters, plush toys and action figures.

The company was founded in 2010 by Mohsin Ali Afzal and Waqar
Azim, with a major emphasis placed on a modern office space.

"We were sure from when we started that we didn't want cubicles
and I wouldn't have a big office," said Afzal, who returned from
UC Berkeley in 2010.

"We wanted to make sure we're sitting with everyone. We
encouraged everyone to take ownership of their spaces and gave
them (money) to get stuff for their tables."

Workspace and play is also seen as key at CaramelTech, a Lahore
studio founded in 2011 by brothers Saad and Ammar Zaeem which is
responsible for coding global 2011 mega-hit Fruit Ninja (which
had over 500 million downloads) for an Australian studio.

The office has a designated play room complete with pool table,
table football, and X-box.

"Every day at 4pm they're forced to leave their work and go play
upstairs. We want that culture where people aren't only working
but also enjoy themselves," he said.

Also notable in the games studios is near gender-parity, a
striking fact in a country where female participation in the
workforce has lagged behind for decades.

People are dressed in everything from Western jeans and t-shirts
to hijabs. For some, convincing their family they are working in
a "real job" wasn't easy.

"Basically my parents think I play all day and don't work," joked
Saadia Zia, We R Play's 24-year-old head of quality assurance
department which is tasked with teasing out bugs.

In addition to gaining the trust of employees' families, the game
studios have to contend with a host of issues ranging from
frequent power outages to insecurity and civil unrest.

"Electricity does not work. You have to come to terms with that,"
said Ahmed of Mindstorm, who plans to move his studio
off-the-grid using solar panels.

They also have to contend with faulty telephone lines, security
threats and the ubiquitous corruption that dogs life in Pakistan.

"Right outside our gate we had a car being gunned down. That
affects you."

However, the rewards outweigh the risks, he said.

"It's somewhat like the Wild West. It's not for everybody. If you
expect a level of service from the environment around you, that's
not going to happen. If you can fend for yourself, it's great."